Debut well worth hassle for Royals’ owner
Posted on Friday, April 11, 2008
SPRINGDALE — David Glass once lived in a Northwest Arkansas that wasn’t big enough to have traffic jams.
So how odd was it that traffic made Glass late getting to Arvest Ballpark on Thursday for the stadium’s first game ?
“I’ve been sitting out there in the world’s longest parking lot for about the last hour, trying to get in this ballpark,” said Glass, the Kansas City Royals owner whose franchise’s Class AA team, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, made its Springdale debut Thursday. “There are better ways to get in here than the one in I tried.”
Glass, who lives in Bella Vista, was willing to trade gridlock for a great time at the park. A sellout crowd braved the congested roads leading into Springdale to see the Naturals play Texas League opponent San Antonio.
It was a big night for Glass, who hopes several Naturals players are successful enough to eventually travel the 230 miles north to Kansas City, Mo., to pitch in at the big-league level. Most of the farm system’s rich set of pitching prospects make up the Naturals’ starting rotation.
“A lot of the players in [Class AA ] jump to the major leagues,” Glass said. “Some of our best [Royals ] now jumped from Double-A.”
But this wasn’t a night to be too concerned about victories and losses or the future of the organization, and the sellout crowd seemed to be in a good mood even as the Missions took an early 4-0 lead.
Turbulent weather in Kansas City canceled the flight plans of several Royals front office members, including General Manager Dayton Moore, Glass’ son and team President Dan Glass and former Royals star George Brett. But even their absence couldn’t take away from the franchise’s excitement about its transplanted Texas League team, said J. J. Picollo, Kansas City’s director of player development. “It’s an outstanding setup,”
1 Picollo said. “We’re about 3 / 2 hours away, so it’s an easy ride, and just walking around here it’s amazing for our players to play in an atmosphere like this.
“ I’m anxious to see the crowd and through this [homestand ] when I’ll be here.”
Glass, a confessed baseball junkie, is tickled he can now drive about 20 minutes south of his Bentonville office to watch the minor-leaguers play after the team moved from Wichita, Kan. He hasn’t ignored the big club, though, having spent the previous two nights watching the surprising Royals — who were 6-2 through Wednesday — beat the New York Yankees in their first series at Kauffman Stadium.
Glass said he’ll manage to see both teams play plenty, as long as wife Ruth doesn’t mind.
“He’s been talking about it for quite some time,” Picollo said. “He’s been one of the few guys who’s keeping us posted on the facility and how it’s coming along. He rides by here quite often, so it’s pretty good to have him here.”
What made Glass smile just before the game began was knowing the Naturals have decided to wear a Kansas City logo on the left sleeve of their jerseys. That doesn’t happen often in the minors.
He also was pleased when told there were several fans wearing Kansas City hats and jerseys who arrived early when the Arvest Ballpark gates were opened for the first time around 4: 30 p. m.
“It’ll be a good fan base for the Royals,” said Glass, wearing a customized Naturals jersey with his name stitched on the back. “It’s really exciting to see the response in this area, and it’s going to be great.
“ This is as good-looking a minor-league park as I’ve ever been in.”
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